Roger Federer will only play doubles at this weekend's Laver Cup after his replacement in the singles draw was confirmed. Federer confirmed the Laver Cup would be his final tournament as a professional after he announced his retirement last week.
He confirmed the end of his remarkable 25-year career via an emotional statement on social media. He said: "To my tennis family and beyond, Of all the gifts that tennis has given me over the years, the greatest, without a doubt, has been the people I’ve met along the way: my friends, my competitors, and most of all the fans who give the sport its life. Today, I want to share some news with you all.
"As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries. I’ve worked hard to return to full competitive form.
"But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear... The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the Tour."
After revealing the event in London will be his last, Federer has confirmed that his swansong will only come on the doubles side of the competition, playing one match on Friday evening. As a result, the Swiss legend has been replaced by Matteo Berrettini in the singles event.
Ahead of his final outing on the court, Federer opened up on his retirement announcing, and admitted not everything went to plan. The Swiss star revealed he was forced to break the announcement prematurely with the news set to be broadcasted elsewhere.
“You try to keep those moments private and hope there are no leaks,” Federer told BBC Sport. “But apparently there were leaks in the morning of the announcement so we scrambled to announce it earlier than it was supposed to be.”
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Adding that he knew it was the right time to call time on his iconic playing career, he went on: "It's been an emotional few weeks to go through those words to try to get them right, that they reflect how I'm feeling and thanking all the people who have helped along the way.
"I always pushed my retirement thoughts away. I said, the more I think about it, the more I'm already halfway retired and this is not the way to go to work, you know, for me as a tennis player, so we'll deal with it when it comes. And it did. And I dealt with it.”
